Trip Mine

The Trip Mine is a deployable item that can be placed on any horizontal or vertical surface. After backing away from it, it emits a laser in the direction perpendicular from it. If any police officer or civilian breaks the laser, the mine will explode after a short time, usually resulting in instant death. Your crew members can freely move through the laser without consequence.

To unlock the Trip Mine, spend a single skill point in the Technician skill tree. To deploy it, point at any valid surface nearby, then press and hold the G key if you're not holding a loot bag. The mine will not activate until the laser turns on, so you'll need to back away from it. Although the mine will not explode if you or your crew break the laser, you will take damage from it if you're standing near it when it goes off.

The Trip Mine is best used to cover an area that you can't see during a police assault, or to be used as an early warning. Placing it directly next to a window or door, for example, especially at your back, will alert your crew that the cops are coming from that direction. That split-second of warning may be all you need to turn your attention and gun barrels in that direction to avoid unnecessary wounds.

By default, you can only place two Trip Mines per level. Additional skill points can be spent in the Technician skill tree to improve the number of mines, their blast radius, and their damage. Trip Mines can also be equipped with a proximity sensor, replacing the laser, and giving you a bit more flexibility in where you place it.

The final upgrade for Trip Mines turns them into Shaped Charges, blocks of C4. C4 can be used to quickly blow open doors and safes, though you'll be making a ton of noise in the process. If you need stealth, let a Ghost do most of the work; if you need to get in and get out, Shaped Charges can save entire minutes when working on a large safe.